The conflict is deadlocked

On the eleventh day of the strike the national mediator invited the parties to meet again, to try and find a solution to the conflict. After an almost five hour long meeting the conflict is possibly even more deadlocked.

"Unreasonable demands of early retirement scheme makes it impossible to get to an agreement, and the strike continues," says Jan Hodneland, chief negotiator OLF.

“This dispute is deadlocked,” says Hodneland. “The OLF has no mandate to include pension benefits over and above the existing ALP early retirement scheme in industry-level pay agreements.

“The unions first presented that demand in 1980, but it is still impossible for us to accept. This must be determined at company level.”

15 % of the oil production and 7% of the gas production on the Norwegian continental shelf are affected by the strike. The cost of the stoppage reached NOK 2 billion today. The 120 workers “actually” striking are the only ones losing pay over the dispute, with the remaining 588 either off duty or having roles which make them part of safety staffing on installations.